


Betty Cooper Eyes

by BlueMonkeyZ



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Gay, Riverdale AU, Riverdale High School, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27199403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueMonkeyZ/pseuds/BlueMonkeyZ
Summary: Get it? Like the song? Bette Davis Eyes?Anyways, this takes the kiss from the first episode and just kind of builds off that energy. B and V have a lot of chemistry. In this AU they're attending college and meet for the first time in a club. Betty struggles with anxiety and Veronica struggles with a toxic relationship. After falling for another student, Betty begins to question herself, while Veronica realizes she might want to be more than friends with Betty.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge
Kudos: 19





	1. Pretty Poison

The hallways felt cold, and what few lights were on as I stepped off the elevator and into the lobby of the third floor of Greendale University’s very own Media Center failed to retain any sense of life that could be felt on a normal weekday. Where I normally heard the mutter of collected voices and the flutter of notebook paper, I only heard the echo of my own footsteps on white, marble-like flooring. 

My hand gripped the handle of my backpack a bit tighter as I gazed across the empty space of the lobby. Light from the late morning sun bled through clear glass walls and onto empty tables and chairs, some clean, others smudged by runaway erasers. The trashcan by the pillar still had some plastic coke cans peeking out of the top side, adding just enough color to the scene to make it almost festive. 

Little felt festive however, as the dead silence weighed heavily on my already nervously twisted stomach. There was little to be anxious about, if I’m being completely honest. I was attending the first meeting of the Greendale University Journal, which I should have been excited about. Problematically, I was, but in the I-feel-like-I-might-die-on-this-rollercoaster type of excited. I’d just gotten there, hadn’t even seen anyone yet, and there I was, still dying for the final moments of the meeting to happen so I could go home. 

Quick background before we get to the meat of this part of the story though:

The last several months, during which I switched my major from Journalism to Law Enforcement, then back to Journalism, had been a whirlwind of sorts. I’d lost a best friend (the only one I’d actually made in high school), everyone else I’d even associated with had gone about their lives, leaving me as if I were somewhat of a dream, and my childhood friend had moved to attend a college out of state on a football scholarship. It was like I’d simply been a phantom throughout grade school, vanishing like a vapor once graduation had ended. 

I’d thought that perhaps the college in Greendale would have more chances for me, but true to my intensely introverted nature and an unexpected wave of lethargism once the fall semester had started had resulted in a tumultuous relationship with my sense of self and direction. I barely talked to anyone in class, made no connections with the faculty and any attempt to invest time in an extracurricular activity was immediately overshadowed by the urge to go home and hang out in my room. Alone. 

Without seeing myself do anything with journalism, especially at the rate I’d been going, I decided to switch to Law Enforcement. I’d always had an acute interest in being a detective of sorts. I was good at it, putting things together and piecing together the what from the why. It all came from spending more time people-watching than, well, actually hanging out with them. 

It didn’t take long, however, to realize that Law Enforcement simply was not my cup of tea. It was as if I’d suddenly switched from fixing a Fiat to building a Mitsubishi. It was an entirely different ballgame, one I felt like I belonged in even less. In turn, I realized that it wasn’t the environment I was in when I was pursuing journalism, but rather my own apathy I’d been battling. It was simple. I just needed to apply myself. 

So why was I standing in the hallway, gripping my backpack as if it were a life-jacket on a sinking boat?

The door was open, but the lights were off, leaving only the soft filtered light of the sun bleeding onto the floor through windows and the blue glow of a projector being cast across the two front tables. Several girls were seated already, on their phones, not really paying attention to whoever was wandering in, so there was no reason to have this pounding sensation in my chest. Yet, there it was, relating to me in a very subtle manner that I should just head back home where I could be safe in my perfectly kept room, listening to lofi and studying for tomorrow’s exam. 

Abandoning the screaming in my brain, I quickly straightened my back and walked into the classroom. I’d taken an A/V course here about two semesters prior; the smell of notebook paper and erasers was still prevalent. A few chairs had been added, but other than that, it was the same pale, long tables forming two rows with an aisle down the middle. I remember being all the way in the back, not working with anyone, covering any assignment on my own. 

The only girl out of the four in there already that I noticed was Josie. I’d had the pleasure of meeting her on a rare night out with one of my coworkers, Kevin. She was chill, always humming quietly when she was writing something down and tapped her pencil as if it were a metronome. Today she was lounging like a cat, her seat tilted back and her golden hooped earring glimmering in the dark. She turned, like they all did, when I stepped in. The night I’d gone out with Kevin, she’d mentioned joining the Journal and had even read over a few of my articles I’d written in my Technical Writing class the prior year, saying they were impressive and I deserved to be an editor. Like normal, I’d declined, saying I wasn’t really cut out for group projects.

Obviously, I’d changed my mind but a lot had gone into that. A story for another time. 

Josie smiled upon seeing me enter the room, and I nearly melted from the comfort of seeing a familiar face, albeit a newly familiar one. With barely looking at the other three girls, I flew like a mad falcon to the chair at the table just behind Josie, practically slamming my backpack down before seating myself in a more calm fashion. 

“Hey,” I whispered to Josie, who’d fixed her posture in her chair so she could better face me. 

She was practically beaming to see me, which was something I hadn’t really experienced before. It was like she was genuinely glad I’d shown up. 

“Homegirl,” she muttered, reaching a tender hand toward me as I adjusted to my seat better, “Your outfit is amazing! Where’d you get that jacket? Denim is so your thing.”

I chuckled, attempting to keep from getting flustered. “Just a quick run to the thrift store before the first freeze this year. I was surprised, I hardly ever find anything this good.”

“Well, you are one lucky girl, Betty,” Josie said, giving me another huge smile, “and I’m so glad you actually came! I thought you weren’t gonna make it.”

Ummm, shrug. Just shrug. 

I shrugged. “I guess… I just kinda changed my mind. I thought about it a bit more and also managed to have the day off from work so…” I gesture to the air. “Here I am.”

God, can’t I just talk normally?

Josie didn’t seem to notice my slow build to getting flustered, which means I was probably better at hiding it than I thought. 

“So, we were supposed to start a few minutes ago,” Josie stated, clasping her hands together when she said “So”, “However, we are just waiting on our president to show up, then we can get everything started. In the meantime, I can just introduce you to everybody.”

I adjusted my posture. I hadn’t even taken the time to really look anyone else over, I was so focused on Josie. Already, I could feel the flock of moths deep in the pit of my stomach going insane. Just take deep breaths, you look fine, you’re fine. 

Josie waved to the two girls sitting across from us, one on the tubby side with auburn hair and a collage of freckles across her cheeks. Her hazel eyes glistened in the low light, and she looked a little bit shy but gave me a wave nonetheless. 

“So the sweetie there with the freckles is Ethel, she was last years page editor,” Josie said as Ethel smiled, “and the badass photographer next to her is Midge Clump.”

Midge glanced over and gave me a wide smile. She had boyishly cut pitch black hair that turned nearly blue from the projector and sparkling brown eyes that squeezed closed from the raising of her cheeks. I imagined that she’d be something akin to a fairy were she to live in a fantasy video game of some kind. 

“Hi,” Midge said with a smile, “Betty, right?”

I nodded. Then I remembered to smile back, so I did. 

Josie then motioned to the girl next to her, who I’d hardly even taken the time to notice since sitting down. She was looking down at her sketchpad, doodling some kind of animated character against a white background. It was as if she’d simply materialized out of thin air, she’d been so quiet during my entire entrance. 

“This here,” Josie said, giving the girl a pat, “Is our very own, Toni. Best graphic designer out of the whole department. And a total nerd!”

Toni, a name that sounded like a nickname to me, looked up from her artwork and gave Josie an annoyed smile, probably to show that she hadn’t been a fan of the shoulder pat. Then, she looked over to me and…

Interesting. 

Toni was, let’s start with, drop-dead gorgeous. She was dressed in a sleeveless violet top with ripped black jeans and boots to match. Tilted downward on a river of flowing hair that I had yet to decipher the true color of due to the low light, was a leather newsboy hat, complemented by a pair of dangling gold earrings. Her eyes shine in an interesting shade of amber, reminding me of raw honey. 

She doesn’t offer a grin but more of a contemplative glance. She’s observing me, sizing me up to see who I am. After merely a moment of that she reaches out her hand. The earrings sway slightly. 

“Antoinette,” she says, as I take her hand, “Everyone calls me Toni, though.”

Josie lifted a hand and let out a cackle. “Girl, she knows, I just told her.”

I grasp Toni’s hand tightly for a second before letting it go. “It’s fine. I think Antoinette’s a cool name.”

She shrugs and gives her hair a toss over her shoulder as if to say she isn’t bugged. “Cool? Maybe. Outdated? Definitely.”

I lean forward to give her sketchpad a lookover. One of the things I’d realized I was terrible at when I really started to hang out with people more was that I had a bit of an issue with connecting with other people, on anything basically. So, going into this, I knew I needed to change that. 

“What’re you working on?” I ask her. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve tried something like this. It’s one of my go-to phrases, and honestly, most people can see right through it. I’ve never been more fake of a person than when I’ve tried acting interested in what other people were doing. This was different though. I really wanted to see what she was up to. 

At the time, I didn’t know what exactly made my interest so strong. I wish it’d been obvious. I wish even more that it hadn’t happened, and I’d been able to keep my eyes open. 

But life has a funny way of… well… being ‘life’. 

“I draw the artwork for the magazine,” Toni said, holding up the sketchpad, “Every issue we do needs caricatures so I’m making a basic one now.”

I look at the drawing. “Interesting. What’s it gonna be?”

“Just a little character dressed up in a cowboy hat, just your basic stuff,” Toni said, sounding like it was just another day for her, “At least, that’s what the plan is now. I might change it later, I don’t know.”

“Well,” I say, offering a smile, “I bet it’ll be good either way.”

She nods, in approval of the affirmation, and continues doodling. “So how do you know Josie?”

I hadn’t expected her to continue the conversation after she turned away so I awkwardly faltered in my seat for a moment. “Um, we share a mutual friend actually. I have a coworker who’s friends with her and she told me about this, so… yeah.”

She stops sketching and looks back at me. This time she grins. “Cool. What all do you do?”

I feel like I have to explain one quick thing and that is this; at this point, almost any given social gathering I’d attended had a single person who’d continued talking to me like this. I know, it’s crazy, but you have to understand I was quite the shut in. If I was out, I was with my best friend and was able to rely on them. Any other time, I’d basically battle my way through the night, one exchange of small talk out of time until I finally caved and left. 

So, hopefully this makes the fact that I’m freaking out this entire conversation make sense. 

“Well, I’m really good at writing, or at least, I feel like I am, personally, um, you know.” what was that? “I was actually in the program a few semesters ago but I took a break.”

“A break to do what?”

“I switched to law enforcement for a bit. Turns out that just wasn’t my thing.”

“Mass Media to law enforcement, huh? That’s pretty different from this.”

“Well, I have a range of interests, I guess.”

And that’s where the small talk fizzled out, but not in a bad way. At least, it didn’t feel like it. She just continued drawing and I managed to finally open up my backpack and get my notebook and pencil out. Josie finished up whatever she was doing on her phone and turned to Toni to mutter something to her. Ethel and Midge talked to each other in soft voices across from us, tapping on their notebooks and fidgeting with their clothes. 

The blue projector screen in front of us hovered like a phantom light, the soft buzzing of electricity adding to the general hum of the building. I attempted to remain collected and tried not to let my thoughts make me zone out, like what normally happens in class. This time, I watched, and listened. 

Josie and Toni were friends, just from how they were talking; the little glances, the small grins, the chuckles they emitted when discussing something humorous. From the several times I’d hung out with Josie it was interesting to see the range she had with people. The openness and acceptance was new to me. Ethel was reserved, probably spent most of her time working and could only connect with people if they made the first step. It was obvious that, while still coming off as quiet, Midge was the opposite. 

However, as the wait for this president, whoever she was, moved on, I couldn’t help but continue to return my attention to Toni. It was going beyond just the clothing and the lavender highlights in her hair. It was her soft voice, the way her eyes squinted just a little bit when her face relaxed, her fingers running over the lines in her doodle before she started to draw again. It was little things, but it was catching my attention, and I couldn’t help but invite that little hint of fascination into my brain. 

Yes, I have a problem. It’s called “easily-becoming-enthralled-with-attractive-girls-but-never- getting-the-courage-to-ask-them-out syndrome” and there seems to be no cure, please consult with a specialist. At face value, it isn’t harmful. I’m simply daydreaming about an attractive person I’ve met; everyone does that… or at least, I think they do. Nonetheless, here I am, no doubt about to dive into feels for someone who’s never even going to-

“Guys, I am so sorry I’m late.”

Everyone stops their little one-on-one chats and perk up at the sudden bustling body that makes its way into the room. I end my little spell of gawking at Toni to also sit straight and give attention to the newest arrival to the room. This must no-doubt be the president of the club. 

While it’s hard to truly tear my attention away from Toni, I give the president a look-over as she swings like a dancer to the professor’s desk at the front, setting down her backpack and a large notebook directly onto the surface. She’s proper from the first glance, stylish at the second. Her blouse is black as onyx, a perfectly fitted long sleeve covering her pearl-adorned neck down to her waist where she wore a purple and black plaid miniskirt. Fingers ending in glossy black nails removed a fuschia colored coat with fur on the trim. Heels the color of a new moon clicked on the soft floor. She seemed regal. 

If she were gay, she’d be 100% out of my league. 

Now, back to thinking about how to get to hang out with Toni…

“Homegirl, we have been waaiiiting!” Josie chimed, uncrossing her legs and bending forward to add a little flair to her statement. 

The president gathers herself, dusting off her skirt and moving over to the monitor on the professor's desk. As she types, she gives everyone in the room a flustered grin. “It’s all good, just need to get this semester's plans put up and we are… good to go…”

Josie leans back and gives me a wide grin. “Veronica is late to everything. Trust me, you’ll get used to it.”

I think about saying something but hold back, opting instead to get my planner and pen ready in case I need to write anything down. Everyone comes to attention, with Midge, Ethel, Toni and Josie lying back, cutting their conversations and watching as Veronica, the president, pulls up a power-point presentation. 

“Ok guys, I know we’ve been spitballing ideas during christmas break, but I landed on a few and I’m excited to announce them,” Veronica begins, standing tall like a model on a catwalk, “However, we should probably start with the usual business.”

Veronica then goes through the powerpoint, assigning positions to everyone. According to the screen, I notice that there are several people on the staff who still aren’t present. I read the names Cheryl, Valerie and several others before the page moves. As Veronica goes in depth with what jobs everyone present will be fulfilling, I lean forward and lower my voice to a whisper. 

“Are there more students on staff?” I ask Josie. 

Josie leans back, keeping her voice down as well. “Yeah. I’m sure you’ll meet them eventually, though.”

Yet another twist forms in my stomach. Hanging out with five people has been enough already. Now there are probably going to be more?

“Anyways, now that everyone knows what they’re doing, we can get a move on with the contents of this year’s magazine,” Veronica said, her mouth widening into a grin. “So our themes always scue art and culture, and the last several magazines have been relatively heavy on local stuff like fine dining and the music scene, we had the one for the new coffee shops. So, this year, something that hasn’t been done before would be… fashion. What do you guys think?”

Josie raises a curled finger to her chin and rubs it as I imagine an ancient sage would have. 

“There’s not much of a scene for it here,” Josie says, “But it’d be cool to dig into. I know several students who make their own clothes for fun.”

Toni perks up. “Could we maybe talk about cosplaying? People who do that make their own outfits.”

Veronica nods, placing her hands firmly on her hips. “There we go, that’s some brainstorming. I’ve already run the idea by Cheryl and Mrs. Grundy and they were good with it. Is everyone in favor?”

Midge and Ethel nod in unison. I nod as well. 

I’ve never considered myself a fashion guru but as of late I’d been paying a lot more attention to my clothing and overall appearance (a little plot point I’ll touch on later). I’m personally not worried since I’m only going to be writing. It’ll all be a case of interviews and self-observation, nothing too heavy for me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even learn a thing or two about fashion. 

After observing no opposition to her idea, Veronica folds her arms and nods. “Then if no one’s opposed, I’m going to get story ideas ready for you guys at next week's meeting. Sound good to everyone? Any questions or anything?”

No one speaks up. Her gaze flutters over to me. 

“New girl? You all good?”

It’s literally a simple question, don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’tfreakoutdon’tfreakout.

“Yeah, I’m great!” 

Did I shout? Quick, thumbs up. 

I hold up my right thumb and force down the repeating thought of everyone looking at me. The moment passes and everyone resumes their lives as Veronica shuts down the computer and the projector returns to its blue color. 

As she walks out, the stately Veronica stops in front of Toni and Josie. “I had to cut everything short because I’ve got to edit our last episode. You guys can chill as long as you want.”

Toni nods. “Cool. I was gonna see if we could watch a movie while we’re here.”

Veronica nods. “Yeah, that’s fine. Just make sure the room is clean before you leave. See you guys tuesday night?”

“You know it, homegirl,” Josie says with a chuckle. 

“Sweet, see you guys later then.”

It was as if she’d just shown up. With a flourish and almost ghostly silence, Veronica was gone, the click of her heels echoing down the hallway. I can also see Midge and Ethel gathering their things as well. 

Normally, I’d probably be packing up too, and yet, here I was, actually anchored by nothing other than my own curiosity. 

“What episode was she talking about?” I ask Josie as Toni walks over to the monitor in the front of the class.

Josie folds her elbow over her seat to address me. “It’s this thing Veronica put together, a podcast about old movies and things like that. It’s on Soundcloud if you wanna listen to it. We call it the Scream Queen show ‘cus we’re always talking about horror movies.”

Now that was something interesting. “It’s just you and Veronica?”

“It’s me, Veronica, Toni… oh, and Cheryl.”

The name I’d seen on the powerpoint earlier pops into my head.

“Who’s Cheryl?” I ask. 

Josie waves her hand. “She’s on staff; her and Veronica are good friends. You’ll meet her at some point.”

Alright. Now we’re getting somewhere. A podcast with Toni in it. If there’s any way I can get into the podcast I’d have a reason to see Toni more, and not just at these meetings. 

“Yo, speaking of movies,” Josie says, her voice interrupting the conception of my evil plan, “Toni, what are we watching?”

Toni sits back down by Josie and nods to the screen as Ethel and Midge wave goodbye on their way out into the hall. “Figured we could see something a little older. It’s a movie from the 60s called Pretty Poison.”

As the film begins to play, I notice the unmistakable features of Anthony Perkins (the guy from Psycho) on the screen. Toni looks back at me, meeting my wandering eyes. 

“You gonna chill with us?” she says. 

My heart, for some stupid reason, flutters. It’s almost like she’s asking. “I mean, if that’s ok with you two.”

Josie gives me a grin. “Of course it is, homegirl.”

And with that, we all sit back and watch. For the first time in what feels like my entire life, I feel comfortable in my own skin amongst people who could practically be strangers. It’s honestly so bizarre that I can’t help but smile as I watch the movie. 

My eyes, naturally, drift once again to the soft, flowing hair in front of me. I’m not watching the film anymore. I’m falling. And I hardly know a thing about her. 

This is going to be one crazy ride.


	2. Jackie Brown

Solitude, especially for someone with a brain as overactive as mine, is a tough concept to truly realize. Yes, you can look at the definition of the word and understand it, but it would basically be the same as looking at a picture of a big city and feeling like it looks like a cool place to go without ever actually being in the city itself. 

While high school had left me just about as uncompleted and wanting naught of companionship as ever, I’d thought that college would be able to offer as much, and by some cosmic form of universal intervention, I’d get these friends I needed as well as a verve for life it looked like everyone else had. Everyone else that mattered anyway.

My own bedroom kind of qualified for a place of solitude, but it was, for all intents and purposes, a lazy kind of solitude. I could do homework and research, and I fairly often accomplished that, but mostly, I was just surfing the web, reading fan fiction, just running myself down an endless, happy, quiet rabbit-hole hoping I’d never have to stop. I find myself, most nights, gazing longingly into the screen at three in the morning, watching yet another Top 10 video I had no business giving any amount of interest to. It gave me comfort. It made my evening to just get home, make dinner and lock myself inside at my desk, letting the online world take my thoughts far away from grades and crushes and my future; all things that made me anxious, to say the least. 

The second place of solitude, much like the first, wasn’t much helpful for my overall growth as a person. Out of the few people (you can count them on one hand) I became acquainted with before graduation, one stuck around afterwards. Remember that one friend I had a falling out with I mentioned? His name was Jughead. He’d been essentially an outcast in our grade (the source of our mutual connection) and it didn’t do great for his personality. Once we were out, however, our bond became stronger. It was us going to college together, facing the world as losers who had no idea what we were doing. 

And then I tried drugs. I dabbled, liked it at first, realized I wasn’t a fan the further I got into it, then quickly severed my connection. It became a social thing, and seeing as how I could hardly qualify as a party animal or even a people person, there were very few occurrences that led to chances of continuing to partake. Jughead got into it with me. Unfortunately, his path concerning his usage of it went a bit different then mine. 

Next thing I knew, he was telling me he was involved with a local gang, was constantly asking me to help pay for more drugs and rarely hit me up for anything other than favors. He would lie to me, have a new girlfriend every month, and tried getting me to hang out with his new gang on multiple occasions. It became a mess. 

For the longest time, I simply went with it. I kept my boundaries, making sure I wasn’t getting myself into situations I had no business getting into, but with him, it only got more and more difficult. 

Even now, I still occasionally see him, but we went from hanging out every week to barely speaking. He stopped attending college with me. I’d given up on him, and that feeling broke me. 

That does, however, lead me to another place of true solitude; Blackcoat’s Coffee House. Greendale hosted several chill hangouts for the local hipster scene (and yes, also college students), but in my opinion, none of them served the best vibes as Blackcoat’s did. They had opened their first shop in Riverdale during my freshman year of high school. Once I’d realized I was able to hangout in there and do homework, I was an immediate regular. There was something about the warm smell of a hot latte during a cool, autumn afternoon with my laptop sitting patiently in front of me that was so cathartic for me. 

And still is. 

While I managed to land a job in the coffee business during my second semester at college, it wasn’t with Blackcoat’s, but rather a smaller, older shop with more mainstream attributes on the other side of town. It paid the bills and I got to learn the basics. I was still there now, working with my new friend Kevin, and making enough money to cover my own college expenses while I lived with my mom. 

Still, Blackcoat’s was my favorite shop, and almost any day I felt like, I found myself perched at a table or lounging on one of the dark blue couches doing homework, writing, or as in periodic cases, I would simply be people-watching; observing the Karens with their toddlers asking for almond milk in everything, watching as other students walked in from farmer’s markets with the latest organic goods, seeing the gathering of like-minded middle-aged men at their tables discussing the latest in politics.

The most interesting group to watch, of course, were the baristas. Blackcoat’s had a set aesthetic, as most homegrown coffee shops would; it was rustic, evoked a sense of craft and bygone eras of handmade tools and industrial awakening. The walls were dark with exposed brick and the counters were made of something like iron with dark wood lining the corners. To match the fashion, the baristas themselves dressed in dark colors, sporting leather aprons with chain links, torns denim jeans and boots heavily splotched by fallen grounds of coffee. I watched them, looked at the clothes, studied the ways they talked to each other. 

Yeah, maybe I was creeping a little bit, but the point remains that I had to learn about interacting with people. These guys were all cool; they had their own senses of style, they never seemed to argue and all of them were nice to me when I talked to them. There was something to be learned. I started caring more about my clothes. If there was anything I could pull off, it was light wash mom jeans with pastel colored tops. I had blonde hair and light eyes after all. I added bracelets, used makeup, invested in shoes. I changed. 

This was the ‘me’ that walked into the first meeting for the magazine. I was pumped, on a new direction in life. I’d found my footing in what I wanted to actually do for college, I knew what career I wanted to pursue. Why, then, was everything still so scary?

Immediately the next week, even after being added to the chat and reading a few messages, I didn’t hit any of them up. I saw Josie swing by at work, but she was mainly there to talk to Kevin. He was hyped for everything going on with school too, and he and I had a nice long conversation about it during our shift. Outside of that, however, I was at my usual places, studying at the shop and lounging in my room, the western setting sun warming the baby-blue walls and droning me into a relaxed state every evening if I wasn’t working. 

Lastly (this will all be important information later, I promise), my final zone of comfort in the wonderful towns of Riverdale and Greendale was the cinema. They’d play the newest films, and while it wasn’t a big chain theater or anything, it still had pretty comfy seats. Jughead used to go with me on occasion, but not so much lately. I was a bit of a cinephile at heart, and appreciated the chances to completely immerse myself in the visual world before me, watching fantastical displays of action and romance. 

It was a bit of a surprise to me, then, when our next meeting was set not on campus, but rather at the cinema in Greendale. I checked the groupchat to see that Veronica had messaged everyone to see if they were down to watch a rerun of the film Jackie Brown in lieu of getting together at the school. Everyone agreed, and I had the day off from work, so I decided to go, especially after reading that Toni was going. 

Sure, she was just a crush, she probably wouldn’t talk to me that much, so there’s nothing to worry about. Just hanging out. 

“Bullshit,” Kevin said. 

I look over at him. “Sorry?”

“You’re going to do that thing again,” he adds. 

I give the espresso machine a quick lookover. There’s nothing wrong with it, I was just trying to ignore his penetrating eyes. “Don’t call it a thing.”

“Remember when that one girl was working a few months ago? What was her name again? She was a bit older than us?” 

I give him a look that says to drop the subject but he doesn’t. 

“All you would do is talk about her and you wouldn’t even try flirting,” Kevin said, wiping down the counter and slowly inching his way toward me, “You were just all in the feels and this girl didn’t even know. How can you fall so hard for someone you’ve hardly connected with? Is she even gay?”

Ummmmm…

Let’s try this one. “I get these vibes…”

He gives my arm a playful punch and walks away laughing. “You’ve told me that about so many straight girls, I’ve lost count.”

I personally wouldn’t say “SO MANY”, I mean that’s a little hyperbolic, but this has indeed happened multiple times and poor Kevin gets to hear me sob about it every time it happens. In my defense, it’s not like I’ve ever been in a real relationship before, so why not indulge in whichever emotion I actually feel? If I’m never going to get real love then the only energy I have to feed off is the sensation of loss. That’s not a bad habit or anything, it’s just a personality quirk, if you will. My falling for someone and being rejected or missing the chance to actually try making a romantic connection is simply another man’s drug. 

“Alright, so maybe she’s straight, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility.” I’m not sure why I’m arguing but I’m giving it the ol’ college try. 

Kevin clasps his hands together and faces me. “There is always a possibility. How many times have I said this, Betty? There’s a chance some hot chick might walk right through that front and be so drop-dead gorgeous I could end up being straight.”

“Well, technically you’d be bi.”

He waves his hand dismessively. “Beside the point. We’re also getting off topic. The point I’m trying to make with you, right now, is that I don’t want you to go overboard with your feelings for this girl. I don’t think doing that all the time is good for you.”

I take a deep breath and place my hands on my hips. “You’re right. It’s certainly a self-destructive trait. I’ve already got plenty of those.”

“Hey, leave the self-loathing for your tumblr posts, ok?” Kevin says as he bypasses me for the drive-thru window. I hadn’t noticed someone had pulled up. 

It was the next day that we were gathering at the cinema. I’d been there plenty of times before, and every time I’d been excited, to spend some time to myself in a dark room with no one to bother me for the next hour or so. This time, I was excited for another reason. I exited my small VW and checked to make sure everything I was wearing hadn’t magically turned ugly since the last time I looked it over. Seeing that everything was still fine, I took a deep breath and marched my way toward the entrance. 

I was lucky; Midge and Ethel were already there, sitting like frogs on lily pads at the small table in the foyer. They saw me and waved me down. I waved back and waltzed myself over to them. Midge looked me over as I sat down and seemed impressed with my outfit. I’d paired an egg-white turtle-neck sweater with a brown suede skirt that was lined with gold buttons up the front, topping off the whole thing with rosy pink converses. Like I said, the trendy baristas at Blackcoats would probably never know, but they’d awoken a sense of expression in me that I didn’t know I’d had. 

It didn’t take long for Josie and Toni to pull up. They walked in together, hands stuffed into their jacket pockets, smiles wide with a humorous conversation. I joined Ethel and Midge in flagging them down from the table. Toni spotted us and they began to make their way over. She was laughing, probably from Josie saying something funny, and… the butterflies began to shuffle. I gulped and tried to keep everything Kevin had to told me at the forefront of my thoughts. 

I really tried.

As soon as they stood at the table, however, every bit of that conversation floated away like a branch in a river. She was dressed in red jeans and a silvery-grey sweater. Her boots clicked on the floor as she adjusted her pose to be more relaxed as she addressed us. 

“What’s up losers?” she says with a grin, “Who said you guys could take our spot?”

Midge shakes her head. “You’re a real comedian. What are we even watching again?”

Josie bats her eyebrows. “Ladies, we are about to see one of the most underrated films by one of the most overrated directors in modern history, a special 90’s gem known as Jackie Brown.”

“A Tarentino movie?” I pipe up, “Why are they showing that particular one?”

“They’re showing several actually,” Josie continues, “They do marathons every now and then, and this weekend’s feature is the great QT himself.”

Toni smirks. “Veronica agreed it would be fun to get everyone together for some chill time before we have to get to the grind at school. It’s the beginning of the semester after all. Why not start it off with a little cinematic action?”

Midge gives the pair a hesitant gaze. “Is there gonna be lots of blood?” 

An amused gleam shimmers in Josie’s eyes.

Before any of us can continue the conversation however, I notice a new pair of girls enter the foyer from the dreary winter weather outside. There’s a slight chill as the breeze blows in through the doors, and goosebumps spread across my legs as I look over to see Veronica and a new girl I’d never seen before begin to walk toward us. As I’d seen her do before, Veronica walked with a regal gate. She was still wearing heels and sporting a fuschia dress that was partially exposed by an open dark blue coat. I was struck by a subtle sensation watching them approach, and after a moment, I caught what it was; where Veronica was still striking with her pearls and the placement of her perfectly colored clothes, it was suddenly muted by this new presence. 

The girl next to her was something else. Red hair fell like lava from a volcano down her neck. Deep green eyes pierced the air in front of her, hauntingly positioned above scarlet lips and a beaklike nose. Rubies dangled from her ears, and a gold broach in the shape of a spider sat on her maroon top. Grey plaid slack gave way to shining black heels that clicked on the cheap flooring of the hallway as they drew closer. It was like watching the brides of Dracula. 

“Oh, look who finally made it,” Ethel said. 

The red-haired girl looked down at Ethel, and for a moment, I almost thought I saw something akin to disdain cross her face before her mouth broke into a grin and perfect white teeth flashed in the low light. 

“Don’t be a bitch, Muggs,” she spouted, leaning back slightly, “I can’t help Roni is always running late.”

Veronica gives her a crazy smile. “Running late since it takes you forever to get ready!”

The red-haired girl says hello to everyone, giving Josie a big hug before she turns to me. “And is this the new girl?”

Josie leans on the girls shoulder and gestures toward me. “Yeppers. This is the one and only Betty Cooper. She’s friends with Kevin.”

The girl lets out a gasp. “Oh, how is he, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a hot minute.”

I reach out my hand. I know I’m interjecting but I figure they’ll get back to what they’re talking about. It’s not like a quick greeting takes that long. “Hi, I’m Betty.”

The girl looks down and shakes my hand. “Cheryl. It’s a pleasure.”

Smile. Remember to smile. 

I smile but she’s already back to talking with Josie. That’s fine. 

Veronica steps into the circle and holds out her hands in a diplomatic manner, like she’s about to start a speech. “Guys, I think it’s about to start. I’m gonna go get tickets and everyone can just pay me back later, deal?”

We all nod in unison, which prompts her to twist on her shining heels and make her way toward the booth. In the meantime, Cheryl is discussing something with Josie. Ethel and Midge are getting up to go get snacks. I stand myself, stuffing my hands into my pockets and making a tentative step toward… you guessed it. 

“Hey,” I mutter, “So have you seen this before?”

Toni turns to look at me as if she’s just realized I’m actually there. “Oh, hey. Yeah, I have actually, but it was a long time ago. Tarentino is one of my favorite directors.”

Time to make an impression. “Me too. Django Unchained was… just phenomenal. Kill Bill too.”

She grins, before standing straight to be more eye level with me. “I agree. Love Kill Bill. You watch a lot of movies?”

Keep from blushing Betty, this is just a normal conversation. “Yeah, I do actually. Maybe too many.”

I ended the sentence with a laugh that I wanted to be lighthearted but instead came out all weak and nervous. She doesn’t react or at least acts like she’s not put off by the laugh and just nods. I know deep in my heart that I just killed the conversation, and it’s fine, because I was totally expecting that. I barely know this girl, so what do I even-

“That’s no big deal,” she says, interrupting my waterfall of thoughts. 

My mind goes blank for a second before I fully register that she’s actually continuing the conversation. 

She continues, meeting my eyes, “I like drawing a lot. Movies kind of fuel that inspiration, especially ones with really good art direction. That’s why I like Tarentino so much. And I mean, other directors too.”

“Yeah, exactly,” I say, the words rushing from my lips with no real thought, “I’m really into writing and that’s where I get my inspiration. Like Wes Anderson?”

She smiles. “I love Wes Anderson movies, the Royal Tenenbaums is my favorite!”

Oh my God, this conversation is actually going somewhere. 

I open my mouth to say more but Veronica returns, tickets in hand, giving one to Cheryl first then filtering them out. I reach and pluck two from her hand, one of which I pass to Toni so she doesn’t have to wait. She nods and smiles in gratitude. Together we all move to the entrance and the usher lets us through. 

Attempting to continue the conversation with Toni proves unattainable as she, Josie and Cheryl all huddle together to talk about something. I end up in the back with Ethel and Midge, both of whom give a welcoming grin. I smile back and file into the theater along with the rest of the group. Everyone gets to their seats before I do, a problem I’m welcome to have because I prefer being closer to the aisle in case I have to leave at any point. The only downside to this is Toni ends up further down the row with Josie. I suppose it’d be better to keep from being next to her, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to focus on the movie. Better to just keep to my seat and stay quiet. 

I sit down next to midge as the commercial for the concession plays, letting out a soft sigh as she turns away from me to say something to Ethel. Don’t overthink things, Betty, just watch the movie and have a good time. That’s what you’re actually here for, right?

Damn. 

Someone plops into the seat on the other side of me and I nearly jump out of my skin. I’d completely forgotten she hadn’t sat down yet. She gives me a cheery grin and holds up a bucket of golden popcorn. 

“Hey, new girl,” she says, then tips the bucket slightly, adding, “Want some?”

Yeah, I’d love some, I think. “Nah, I’m ok.” I say with a big grin. 

Why, you ask? Anxiety, I answer.

She squints, and jiggles the bucket a little bit. “Have some. It’s fine.”

The invisible wall is broken, and suddenly, now that I’m being heavily suggested to do so, I indulge myself. I grab a few pieces and stuff them into my mouth. Veronica grins and follows suit. 

“Shouldn’t you be over there with Cheryl?” I ask out of curiosity. It seemed to me like they were fairly close, based on Josie’s comment last week and the fact they showed up together. 

She lowers her voice as the screen goes dark. “I just gave her a ride, it’s all good. So, how’d you hear about the club?”

“It’s funny. Josie is friends with one of my coworkers. I told her I was really into writing, so she said I should check you guys out.”

“Did she now? I’ll have to congratulate her. If you can’t tell yet, we do all the work, but we like to have fun too. I think you’ll fit right in.”

An interesting thought. Me fitting in with any group of people. The thought shines brightly in my head the same a planet does in the night sky. I doubt it’s anything that will last or affect me in the long run, but I can at least romanticize the thought for now. 

As the movie plays, I relax more around the group, their soft whispers and light giggles falling into my ears. They’re just having fun. They’re just being normal college girls. I hear Toni laughing too, and try not to melt. 

To distract myself, I focus on the movie and occasionally reach over to snatch some popcorn from Veronica. She’s watching the movie closely too. Every now and then, I notice her reach up to her chin with soft fingers, their nails painted the color of dark wood. She’s studying what she’s seeing closely. It’s fascinating to watch, almost more than the movie. 

If you were into girls, I think, you’d be one heck of a catch. 

Once the credits begin to go, and the tragedy I’ve just watched wraps up ever so cinematically, I can’t help but indulge in the sensation. For once, I don’t feel alone. For once, maybe I’m actually part of something.


End file.
